Filling the Alphabet
by rese
Summary: Jo and Laurie play a word game.


**Filling the Alphabet**

By rese

Summary: Jo and Laurie play a word game.

Disclaimer: Little Women is owned by Louisa May Alcott. Not me.

_A/N: I hope to one day fill up this fandom writing a fic starting with every letter of the alphabet. It's a goal and I never set goals._

…

"Alright, if you're so smart how about…" Jo tilted her head back in thought. Laurie decided he'd have a bit of fun messing around with Jo's security in writing and it seemed to be paying off. She was quickly occupied with his game and all horrid thoughts of taking him over to Amy and her giggling friends disappeared from her mind. Or so he hoped. "Q'?"

"Quest."

Jo looked at him funnily and he lay back down beside her, valiantly trying to ignore the fact that her feet were bare and less that two metres from his hands.

"And how does that relate to 'love'?" Laurie watched her face go pink when she said the word. Another added bonus to this fantastic game he'd thought of.

"Well that's simple; many quests end up with the prize of love, or are begun with the goal of obtaining some fair lady's love." He placed his hand over Jo's and watched her shirk away almost immediately.

"Not good enough."

"I'd like to see you try."

"No, thank you." Jo twirled her pen nib about in her hand idly, avoiding the black eyes that had settled on her face. "You wanted to gloat and see where it got you?"

It was true he had to boast a fair bit to get Jo to truly pay attention to him and actually play the game. "I say it got me nice and settled beside some lovely girl whose fingers continually soak up the ink from her very black nib."

Jo laughed and then looked down at her stained hands, catching her tongue before she swore like a boy. The ink had run down to her wrist when she had looked over at her handsome friend. "Oh blast!"

Laurie's eyebrows rose and he pulled out a lovely white handkerchief which turned a dark grey as soon as he touched it to Jo's hand. She frowned at the additional ruin and glared mildly at Laurie's kind face despite his help.

"You have a way with mess, dear fellow."

"And so it seems do you," Jo pointed to his hands that had stained through the handkerchief.

"Ah, only when I'm with you, my dear girl." Laurie patted Jo's hand ignoring her clear outrage. He should use 'dear' to finish two _consecutive_ sentences!

"Well then," said Jo in a voice that demonstrated how muffed she was. "I'll go and see how the _other girls_ are doing." She began to rise off the grass, struggling when Laurie put a hand on her arm.

"Oh don't go!"

Jo looked behind her to see a two tall girls laughing and whispering fiercely behind their fans. "Poo Amy's friends." She felt the hand tighten and turned back to Laurie who had moved his face closer than she remembered.

"Don't leave me to them!" It was desperate and it was enough so Jo flopped back down, pulling her two books back out. She saw the tall boy relax again out of the corner of her eye and decided to make it worth her time.

"Oh, but they'd be so kind!"

The speed used to face her must have hurt Laurie's neck. "Oh and we _all_ want that." Jo frowned at his sarcasm. "Especially you, Miss Jo."

"Why, please?"

Laurie's look turned sly and he rolled onto his belly which pushed him closer to his friend who had taken to watching the grey clouds roll in. "Why you'd just love for someone to snatch me away from your side. Think how clumsy free we'd both be!"

Jo surprised him by clutching his arm saying quietly, "Don't say that."

There was a long silence where the boy watched the grass comfortably while the girl stared at the sky waiting for the feeling of awkwardness to pass and uncomplicated words to fall from trees.

"What about me?"

"Oh Jo, don't worry. You'll find someone brave and strong to take care of you and your family. He won't be half good enough for you but you'll probably love him all the same." Laurie's face took on a wistful appearance as he talked; praying that she would and wouldn't see through the real hope behind his words all at once.

"I meant the game, silly."

"Oh." He coloured a deep shade of red. "Well… how about 'L'?"

Jo turned to roll her eyes at him, "Laurie…"

"Really? I'm a synonym for 'love'?"


End file.
